NXT Sports High School Notebook: Conestoga, Vero Beach, Carondelet

The latest edition of the ILWomen High School Rankings are out, and while some of the New England teams have yet to play, there has already been plently of lacrosse played in Florida, Georgia, California and Colorado.

Conestoga Tops Vero Beach in Overtime

While Vero Beach (Fla.) suffered losses to top-ranked McDonogh (Md.) and Milton (Ga.) prior to its contest with Conestoga (Pa.), the 11-9 overtime win was still just as significant for the Pioneers, which entered the season in the "others to consider" category of the ILWomen High School Rankings.

Conestoga faced a four-goal deficit in the first half. Despite some early shooting troubles, the Pioneers kept the game close, bringing it within two goals at halftime. Conestoga fought back in the second half by controlling possession and taking better shots. Senior Claire Jackson (Franklin & Marshall) scored the game-tying goal with two minutes left and Catherine Smith (Cornell) scored both goals in overtime as Conestoga won 11-9. Smith led the Pioneers with three goals while senior Meghan McGillis (Ohio State) and junior Maggie Friel (Johns Hopkins) each netted two.

In her defensive gameplan, Conestoga coach Amy Orcutt chose not to faceguard Vero Beach star Katy Pridemore. Instead she put senior Mackenzie Orr (Navy) on her and made sure the defense played tight on her whenever the ball was in her stick. Orcutt also made sure the Pioneers were prepared for Vero Beach's zone defense, a style they're not accustomed to seeing in the PIAA.

"It was a really good learning experience for the girls to be down four goals against such a top level team and know we can come back," said Conestoga coach Amy Orcutt. "It was great for me to see what we're doing well at this point in the season."

Conestoga faces Upper Darby and Lower Merion on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, as the Pioneers look to contend with Strath Haven and Radnor for PIAA supremacy. With a veteran-laden team and a quality early win under its belt, Conestoga is quickly rising up the ranks.

"I have high expecations of this team," Orcutt said. "These girls have been playing together their whole lives with the youth program and the club team. I think playing at such a high level early in the season is going to benefit us."

Vero Beach Faces Adversity in Tough Schedule

The Fighting Indians are annually an intriguing story in high school lacrosse. A team that always runs the table in its in-state schedule, seeing how they perform against top teams from other states is an interesting indicator of where this program ranks on a national scale.

Some great talent has and will continue to come out of Vero Beach. Virginia midfielder Courtney Swan has been an impact player for the Cavaliers so far this season and Loyola has an up-and-coming talent in midfielder Maddy Blakeman. Current Vero Beach junior Katy Pridemore has committed to Florida and was the No. 2 rising junior in Inside Lacrosse's Recruiting Issue last September. Pridemore is the center of the Fighting Indians offense and the player many teams gameplan around defensively.

Vero Beach got off to a 7-0 start this season before taking on McDonogh. They got off to a 3-0 start against the Eagles, but two straight yellow cards allowed McDonogh to gain some momentum and the game was knotted at five heading into halftime. McDonogh dominated on the draw in the second half and outscored Vero Beach 7-1 to take a 12-6 victory.

The schedule didn't get any easier for the Fighting Indians as they took on the top-ranked team in Georgia, Milton, just three days later. Milton got hot late in the game, scoring seven straight goals to overcome an 11-6 deficit and eventually win 14-13. It was the first time in five matchups that Vero Beach had lost to Milton and marked Vero's first two-game losing streak in six years.

Vero Beach has three games left on its regular season schedule as Florida is the first state to start its high school lacrosse season and one of the first to wrap up. The Fighting Indians are the favorite to take home the Florida state championship. They've outscored their in-state opponents 150-25.

Carondelet: The Team to Watch In California

Carondelet is off to a 7-1 start, the first loss coming by a single goal to Radnor on Wednesday. Another team that will challenge itself with games against tough out-of-state competition, the Cougars dismantled St. John's, annually one of the best teams in Texas, 21-12, in early March.

Kerianne Hunt has been the team's offensive star. She had four goals and two assists to lead Carondelet past league opponent Foothill, 20-4.

The Cougars will face undefeated St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Va.), which is ranked second in the nation, on Thursday, and will wrap up its out-of-state slate of games against Cleveland Heights (OH) on Wednesday, April 3.